I am norwegian doctor who worked as expedition doc on the Antarctic research station Troll for the summer season 2007-2008. NB: This blog is intended as a personal and ecological account from The Ice Planet - fully independent of the Norwegian Polar Institute, their official web page being: npweb.npolar.no

20 Nov 2007

Exploring the area

Sunday was our day off. We had an excellent walk up one of the nearby mountain tops, Grjotfjellet - giving us a view both inland towards the gradualy rising polar plateau, and northward towards the sea ice shelf. The air is exceptionally dry, we're in a polar desert here, so the view was magnificent!

Significant discoveries on the way up:1)Three different types of lichen. (2 in picture) Lichen are symbiotic lifeforms, a fungus cooperating with single-celled plant cells (green algae). The algae contributes with photosynteshis, and the fungus provides sustenance and nutrients to the algae, drawn directly from the rock. The lichen seem to enjoy small hollows and areas where the sun melts the ice during the hottest part of the day.2)Another snow petrel colony, nests scattered throughout the moraine-covered hillside.

Significant discoveries on the way down:Two freshly killed snow petrels, and a guilty-looking south polar skua further out on the blue ice.

2 comments:

Well Oystein,sounds like you're having a ball of a time exploring the area and finding out how to use all this new equipment. It all looks really cool, and not in the temperature form (but it does look that too), love the Motorhead beanie as well - looking good man!! The sis was telling me you don't have my email, it is stephenfraney@gmail.com.Chat soon. Stephen

Hello OysteinGlad to see you have arrived safe and well and lucky it was not a week earlier by sound of things.Area looks really good and makes me wish I was thereSee you are still looking at the birdsWe enjoy reading your reports and explanations of the area etcReal nice hat but suppose its doing what it was intended forlook forward to hearing from you againkeep up the good work regardsJim and Dympna